Wildfires Rip Through Two Australian States

Fires burn despite easing of severe heat wave

By

Rob Taylor

Jan. 18, 2014 4:17 a.m. ET

CANBERRA—Dozens of wildfires burned in two Australian states on Saturday, destroying 16 homes despite an easing of a searing heat wave that has ravaged the country's populated southeast for a week, forcing evacuations and disrupting major sporting events.

Authorities in Victoria state, where 'Black Saturday' infernos five years ago killed 173 people, said cooler temperatures had lowered the threat posed by fires burning near...